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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883479">Too Late</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirithAriel/pseuds/FirithAriel'>FirithAriel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes - Fandom, Captain America (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Inspired By Tumblr, Jealousy, Light Angst, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Prompt Fic, Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:08:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirithAriel/pseuds/FirithAriel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><a href="https://iheartsebastianstan.tumblr.com/post/625118110075224064/">IheartSebastianStan</a> on tumblr asked: <i>I just want to put this out into the world and maybe some amazing writer will make an angsty Bucky fanfic with it ❤ "The problem is you found her but you kept looking."</i><br/>And I wrote this. Set in the 1940s, right before Bucky is deployed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Too Late</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It hadn’t been exactly a surprise, despite being unusually fast. Everyone said you were made for each other, and you truly believed it. He made you happy, in a way no one had before. He was the right choice. He was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> choice. You simply couldn’t wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>These were dark times, any glimpse of happiness had to be held on to with both hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gifts piled up on the table, food was being served, toasts were being made to celebrate the newly engaged couple. For a few hours, you’d be allowed to forget the horrors of the world around you and enjoy each other’s company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky wanted to be happy for you. He really did. You were his best friend, you had known each other most of your lives. Apart from Steve, there was no one else he was this close to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there was an itch in the back of his head, one that pressed hard on his chest everytime he looked at you holding hands with your fiance. It made him clench his teeth and left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t exactly put a name on it. He had already brushed it off as you spending less and less time with him, for obvious reasons, and decided it was just because he missed you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe that was the lie he would keep telling himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying not to ruin the mood, Bucky kept to the sides of the party, almost relieved when music started playing and everyone started to dance. He grabbed yet another beer and stood on the far side, near the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brooding in a dark corner, I see.” Steve startled Bucky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Punk!” Bucky said, taking a swig off his bottle. “Not exactly in a partying mood, Steve. I will be deployed in a couple of days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve groaned, and stuffed his hands on his pockets. It was a touchy subject after all. Steve had been trying unsuccessfully to enroll in the army, but had been rejected time and time again due to the several health issues he had. Now, Bucky was almost ready to depart and he’d be left behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is not the night…” Steve said more to himself, but Bucky heard him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The night for what?” Bucky asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve shook his head. “To brood, to think of unpleasant things. One of our best friends is getting engaged! We should all be celebrating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky gulped hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, brooding just got worse.” Steve almost smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just - I wish to find something like that one day,” Bucky said evasively, gesturing to the happy couple dancing in the middle of the room. “Someone to share a moment like this with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The problem is…” Steve smiled knowingly. “You found it. It was right in front of your face for ages, but you kept looking elsewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Bucky scoffed, taking another swig off his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve gave him an annoyed look. “Do you have any idea how long she spent waiting for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky said nothing. He looked at you again, at the way you smiled, at the way your thumb rubbed the back of your fiance’s hand. Little gestures that gave away so much. And he was just beginning to recognize you had done that to him. Like playing with the hair on the back of his head, or fixing the collar of his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could he </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> have noticed it before? How could it have gone so over his head? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bitterness burned the back of his throat as he watched you kiss your fiance. He couldn’t keep denying it had been jealousy all along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to tell her.” Bucky downed the last of the drink in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve grabbed his arm. “Oh, no, pal,” he said. “Look at her. Are you really going to ruin this night, and most likely her engagement?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Steve, I -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too late, Buck.” Steve started gravely. No matter how much he loved Bucky, he would always be the first to lay out the truth. And he would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> let him spoil your night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m getting another beer,” Bucky muttered, biting the words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve watched him closely, ready to pounce on him if Bucky dared do anything stupid. He didn’t have to. Bucky grabbed his drink and walked to the backyard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He observed you through the window. It dawned on him how </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span> Steve was. He had lost his chance, and trying to get it back might end up only hurting you. He still fought with his own stupidity, and blindness, beating himself up for being this dense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were smart, and kind, and compassionate. There was always a smile on your face for whoever needed it. You were selfless and devoted to those you loved. You had quite the temper too, especially if someone you loved was being hurt. Bucky had been on both ends of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were perfect, and the man who’d get to have you would be the luckiest man on Earth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too bad it wouldn’t be him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You always were right there in front of him, being everything he ever wanted, and yet he kept looking the other way. He was a fool, there was nothing he could do about it anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Watching you being happy with someone else was becoming too much. The heavy feeling burning inside his chest was worse than what he could handle right now. Bucky had to get out of there before he had too much to drink and did something stupid. He didn’t tell anyone anything, and walked out the back door, putting as much distance between him and your house as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a couple of days, he would leave. He hoped that would put a damp on his feelings. He knew you’d be pissed at him for not saying goodbye. He could even see you in his head, chastising him, with your hands on your hips and a scrunchy nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was nothing Bucky couldn’t fix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would apologize once he came back.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feedback is always appreciated!<br/>You can also follow my <a href="http://fadingfics.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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